Body found at former Farmington high school

Friday

May 30, 2014 at 8:56 AMMay 30, 2014 at 7:12 PM

Alyse Thompson of GateHouse Media Illinois

FARMINGTON — The male body found Thursday in the Old School Center two weeks after it went up in flames remains unidentified, but the individual was in the building at the time of the blaze, Fulton County Coroner Steve Hines said.

An autopsy, completed Friday, revealed a preliminary cause of death to be inhalation of combustion products due to building fire. The body’s identification is pending further investigation by the Coroner’s Office.

Police and fire personnel uncovered the body shortly after 4 p.m. in a third-floor hallway after the building owner Dan Meister alerted them to a foul odor emanating from there. They removed debris in the area to locate the remains.

“It’s important we let them do their investigation, and we are praying for the family that’s involved,” Meister said.

Police Chief Carl Powell said Friday morning the cause of the fire, which broke in the early morning hours on May 15, is still under investigation. He added the Police Department had no knowledge anyone was missing in the area, and no complaints of a foul odor had been made to his department prior to Thursday.

The third floor is totally burned, according to Fire Chief Anthony Scapecchi, and he added the caved roof posed a problem in initial investigation.

The Illinois State Fire Marshal’s Office, the Illinois State Police and the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office also were notified.

Multiple fire departments from across west-central Illinois responded to the blaze May 15, and tankers spent much of the day hauling thousands of gallons of water to the location. The Old School Center, which served as Farmington High School until 2004, most recently acted as a community and Christian retreat site.

If anyone has information regarding the fire, they are urged to call Fulton County Crime Stoppers at 547-3939 or the Illinois State Fire Marshal’s Hotline at (800) 252-2947.